Minnesota Wild defenseman Christian Folin was a coveted free agent after completing his sophomore season at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell back in March. In his 12th NHL game, Folin started to pay some dividends on his signing with the Wild by scoring his first NHL goal, the only goal for the Wild in a 2-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks.

With the Wild applying some pressure in the Sharks’ zone, San Jose forward Tommy Wingels made an ill-advised pass through the center lane that ended up on Folin’s stick at the right point. Folin wasted little time in unloading a shot that beat Sharks’ goaltender Alex Stalock on the short side to knot the game at one apiece.

Folin, a native of Kungsbacka, Sweden, spent time in the Frolunda organization before moving to North America to play junior hockey in the NAHL and USHL for two seasons. He then played at UMass Lowell for two seasons before signing a contract with the Wild.